In janitorial settings which require a significant amount and number of specialized cleaning solutions, the liquid cleaning products are typically purchased on a concentrated basis, and then are diluted to the proper strength at the site where they will be used. This type of general system is employed by a wide variety of users, e.g., hotels, hospitals, restaurants, etc. Several dispensing systems have been developed for mixing and diluting the concentrated cleaning products. The dispensers usually feature at least some of the following components: a container for the concentrated cleaning product, a storage container for the diluted cleaning product, a method to dose concentrate into the storage container, and a water supply line to dilute the concentrate.
The dispensing systems cover a wide range in terms of their complexity. That is, the method of dilution may be rather simple and manual in nature, but requires a great deal of operator experience. On the other hand, the dispensing systems may be quite complex, requiring several mechanical devices to dilute the concentrates. Such complex systems are often necessary where different cleaning products and different dilution ratios are utilized for different cleaning applications, These dispensing systems typically require several separate water lines, each water line corresponding to a different type of cleaning concentrate. The requirement of multiple water lines also greatly limits the locations at which the dispensing systems can be placed, and such systems are generally not portable. Accordingly, solution containers such as spray bottles and mop buckets typically must be filled and taken to the point of usage by the janitorial personnel.
The cost of these conventional dispensing stations is typically relatively high, because of their complexity and because backflow preventers are generally required for each water connection by applicable plumbing codes, and pressure regulators are necessary to control use solution concentrations within an acceptable range. Other necessary flow control devices also add to the cost of conventional dispensing systems; for example, a pick-up probe and foot valve must be employed in order to withdraw the concentrate from a rigid container.
One type of system which offers significant improvements over many of the more complex conventional systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,820 issued to Thomas. To the extent necessary to support this disclosure, the disclosure of this reference is incorporated by reference herein.
The system disclosed in Thomas includes a number of solution storage containers and concentrate containers preferably arranged on a rack. One or more aspirators are mounted to the rack, and the storage and concentrate containers may be individually connected to the aspirators through quick release connections. A diluent such as water is provided through a gun assembly which may be attached to a water inlet port of the aspirator through a releasable, quick connection fitting. When it is desired to fill a storage container with a solution, the appropriate storage container and concentrate container lines are connected to the aspirator, and then the gun assembly is connected to the aspirator and actuated to dispense water or other diluent through the aspirator and into the storage container. By virtue of the vacuum created in the aspirator, a controlled quantity of concentrate is also drawn into the storage container to form the solution.
This system offers significant advantages over other conventional systems as it is capable of providing controlled concentrations of solutions in a simple, easy and cost effective manner. However, while the quick release fittings between the various components of the system are comparatively easy to operate, selection of different storage containers and/or concentrates requires individual fluid lines to be rerouted between the storage and concentrate containers and the aspirators.
Another system which offers significant improvements over more complex conventional solution storage and dispensing systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,649, issued to Copeland et al. To the extent necessary to support this disclosure, the disclosure of this reference is also incorporated by reference herein.
Copeland et al. discloses a chemical solution dispensing and handling system which includes a storage container having an aspirator or other proportioning means disposed inside the container. Quick release fittings are provided to the aspirator to connect the lines running from a water source and a source of concentrate. The Copeland et al. system also provides for controlled concentrations of solution through the use of metering tips in the aspirator which control the respective flow rates of the water and concentrate.
The Copeland et al. device also offers the advantage of being simple, inexpensive and reliable. In particular, the container may be filled with solution merely by controlling the flow of water or diluent into the aspirator. However, each Copeland et al. system stores a single solution in a single storage container, thus requiring a plurality of such systems to provide a plurality of chemical solutions. Also, selection of the system to fill often requires rerouting of a transferrable water line to the system.